Journal box lid



Dec. 10, 1946. A. o. BUCKIUS JOURNAL BOX LID 2. Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 2. 1942 ius INVENTOR Albert 0. B Ck mwuimcim Dec. 10, 1946. A.- o. BUCKIUS 2,412,250

JOURNAL BOX LID Filed Sept. 2, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig.

INVENTOR' Al art 0. Buck us am A w ATTORN'EY Patented Dec. 10, 1946 JOURNAL BOX LID.

Albert 0. Buckius, Cleveland Heights, Ohio, assignor to National Malleable and Steel Castings Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application September 2, 1942, Serial No. 457,037

' This invention pertains to a journal box lid for closing the opening at the front end of a railway journal box. I

' It is an object of the invention to construct a two-piece journal box lid retaining all of the advantages of previous lids and which is considerably less expensive to produce. Contributing to the reduction in the cost of producing the lid is the elimination of all machining operations from the parts. Moreover, the parts are so arranged that a coil spring can be used which is not bent and ground flat on the ends, thus saving the cost of this grinding operation.

Another advantage of the invention is that the closure part of the lid can not become displaced from the housing, even though the spring that normally maintains the parts in assembled relation is broken and even though the spring may be broken into pieces small enough that they become lost from the lid. Means is also provided for maintaining the closure part of the lid in such relation to the mouth of the journal box opening .that the closure will return to the same position on the mouth opening at successive openings and closings of the lid. r u

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be understood from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which:

. Figure l is a side elevation of a journal box lid embodying the invention, applied to a journal box.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on the center line of the lid and accompanying journal box, the lid being shown in closed position in full lines and in opened position in dot-dash lines.

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 33 of Fig. 2. a

Figure 4 is a front view of the lid with portions of the housing and closure members broken away.

Figure 5 isa partial view of an end of the lever.

Figure 6 is a partial View showing the spring seat in the bottom of the closure member.

Figure 7 is a view of the spring, showing the unbent and unground ends thereof; and V Figure 8 is a partial sectional view of the spring seating .portionof the closure member, showing the spring before torsion is placed on Rte maintain the closure member in a given relation to the housing member.

In the drawings the journal box ID has the usual hinge lug llv formed with an opening to receive the hinge pin M which joins the lid to the journal box. I The two-part lid comprises'a housing l2 having openings 13 therein for receiving 8 Claims. (Cl. 308-47) the hinge pin l4. At the lower end of the housing is an outwardly extending spherical protuberance 15 with flanges IG'and H on either side thereof, The closure member I8 is formed'with a U-shaped yoke l9 extending outwardly from the closure member. On the inner side of member I!) is a spherical socket adapted to receive the spherical protuberance IE onthe housing. member to form a pivotal connection betweenthe closure and housing members. On either side of socket 2B and adjacent flanges l6 and I1 the yoke I9 is formed with flanges 2| and 22 which serve to limit pivotal movement of the closure member in the plane of the journal box opening and also limit longitudinal movement of the closure member relative to the housing.

On the inner wall of housing member I2 is a .spherical socket 23 adapted to receive a ball pro,-

jection 24 of springlever 25 for pivoting thelever on the housing member. The upper end 26 of the lever engages forward surface 21 of hinge lug II in the usual manner. 'The lower end of the lever is formed with a pocket 28 adapted to receive one end of spring 29. Closure member I8 is depressed v "inwardly at its central portion to form a pocket 30 receiving the other end of spring 29.

.It has been customary in previous journal box lids of this type to bend and grind the ends of the coil spring fiat. However, this resulted in a loss of the use of approximately one-half of a coil at each end of the spring. In the present lid by using a coil spring with unbent and unground ends, the material is used more efficiently since the two ends by being left unbent and unground,

have the result of increasing by approximately one the number of efiective coils in the spring.

Thus with a spring of this construction the travel from free height to solid height is greater than with a spring of equal free height in which the ends have been bent and ground flat.

To provide some stability to the spring when it is in operating position bottom wall 33 of pocket 30 is sloped relative to the center line of the spring so that a portion of the bottom coil is in contact Likewise wall 34 of pocket 28 is sloped to provide some contact with the opposite end of the spring. Abutments 31 and 38.,are formed in pockets 28 and 30 respectively to engage the ends of the coils of the spring and prevent rotation thereof about its longitudinal axis. These abutments are formed by sloping projections 35 and 36 which projections are spaced from the adjacent coils of the spring so that there is no contact therebetween during normal operaftion of the device. I ,Thus withthe arrangement means is not provided to prevent loss of the 010-. a sure member from the lid when a spring breaks.

Loss of the closure member would permitdirtanjd moisture to enter the box andcontaminate. the

oil and thereby damagingflthebearing. the

present invention the housing, closure member.

and the lever are held in operative relation solely by means of spring 29. By theuse of a coil spring with unbent and unground ends sufiicient yoke and lever.

jfrgmjthe closure member and then gradually 4 ficient amount to permit the lower. end of lever to be placed on the outer end of the spring. The lever and spring are then forced toward the closure member until the springis compressed to its solid height, When in this position there is sufficient room between theouter surface of the lever andthe inner surface of yoke I9 to slide flange ll of the housingm'ember between the During this step in the assembly, the upper end of the housing is tipped away swung toward the closure member as flange l1 .,and;ba ;1l;;-i5 progressively slide between the yoke and thehpo'oketisfi. of the lever. When flange I1 initial compression can be placed on the spring within the space limitations present, that break age of a ,single coil wi1lnot 'elimina,te all of the initial compression of the spring. Moreover,;even though the spring breaks -'se ver al pieces allowing the housing member to move toward the closure member; flange; i i will prevent the closure member from ,dropping downwardly relative to the housing. In the event of breakage of the spring to such an extent thatjthereis no initial compression remaining, the-lever and housing 'wi'llmo'veby gravity toward the closuremember, since the lid as a whole is at an angleto the vertical. Even if the leverandhousing were to move toward the closure until-the bottom end of the lever contacted: the adjacent surface of I the closure memben'flange i I wouldstillbe in 'o'verlap-' pingrelationto flange 22 of the closure-member, thus preventing-the latter from moving downwardly and falling ofi'of the journal box. In addition I provide ether means between the lever and the closure memberior preventing loss of the closuremember. Extending downwardly 'from-thelow'er end ofthelever is aprojection 40 having an opening-e! which is adapted tore'-' ceive a projection 42 on -the-closure member in the event that 's prin'gbreakage permits the lever tomove a sunicient distancetoward the closure member. In=-this connection it will be-obse'rved that socket =23 on the-housingterminates in in- --w-ard projections '43and-4fi which overlap ball 24 on the lever/Thus the lever may :movea limited amount towards the closure member without ball 24 being displaced from its socket 23.

-Elanges l6, Iland" 2!;"22; have another function than that of -preventingseparation.of the housing and 'closure members. It-will be observed that'the clearance between'theseflanges is small and only sufilcient to I permit --a--limited amount-of universal pivotal movement between the housing and closure so as to assure proper s'eating'ofltheclosure on the journal-box} In opening the lid, if'itwerenot for these flanges the "closure member would be rotated-relative to the housing to -a considerablewextentv *However,

,ifianges ifi and llengage flanges Hand 22 after ailimit'ed amount oftrelative angular. movement 3 zbetweenthe. housingand closureumembersand thereafter .the two members move as a unit. to

zopened position of the lid/In. closing the lid flange 5953i the'upper end of theclosure member I engages the-housingand prevents further rela- -ti-'V e rotation of the-members so'that they will move toclosed position as a-unit. V

-The steps-inassembling; the various parts of my-journal-box ilid' are as followsq Spring129 is 'jfirst; placedfin pocket 30 .Of the closure, member 1 and-cemp'ressedby meansof a suitable toola sufa mem e f rgw m e ag bu has passed theinner end of flange 22, ball l5 may be moved up into its position in socket 20.

springiflxis then released and the assembly is In applying the lid to a journal box 7 a wedge may be inserted between the inner wall 7 complete- Lids" are sometimes made with corrugations on the journal box engaging surfaceas-shown Ihese corrugations -wear into the journal box] -faceand -prov-idea tight-seal which keeps out dirt. 'l-lowever, if --corr-ugations areusedf-means -mustbe provided to 1 make certain that *the' lid seats in the same place upon successive closings thereof, otherwise the-grooves that had-been reviously worn in the journal box face-by the-corrugations on the lid,- wil1- be obli-terated; In.

-8-there is shown a" partial transverse sectional view th'roughthe housingmmber'of the'lidF- Assuming one end of spring-29 to be inengagement with abutment Sliof the-lever; the opposite-end -52 extends i slightly-beyond abutment {3810? the housingwhen not in engagement therewith; fvvhen end 52 is Y forced into-contact -with abutment- .38 the sprin'gLis placeolunder torsion. 'I hi's torsion-tends to-rotate' the closurememben-rel: .ative'to the housing until one of. stops53 on the housing engages the adjacent-surface on-the,clo sure-member; i'I herefore; -during-successive closzingsof-theilid t'he closure member :will: alw'ays be -in.tthe--.-same position relative to theajacei oi the box and any grooves that have worn into the face by corrugations? 5 i will .be in alignmentlwith said corrugations. I

Stops 54 on the lower of the ijournalabox opening; AIhe terms.and-expressions=which I hav' employedare used as terms of description and not .ofz limitation, and I" have no intention; in: the {use (of .such terms and-expressions, of excluding any equivalents of the features-shown anddescribed .or' portions. thereof; but recognize that various modifications arepossible within the s'eope of-jthe 1 invention claimed.

What lclaim'i sz 7 g 1-.- 1. A journal box lid comprising a 'closu member and 1 a housing member, means ffOI' es sar a. ever. ro al ,mo nte mlsa dlhous .p mem er; s rin mean b twe n an end ofs layer.. an nai nlosur hslnberada f br u said"'1ever,-to maintain said projectionin said end of'member l8 limit transverse-tiltingiof;the closure m'emberato aip're- 1 :determined amount .and still 1 permit 1 sufiicient I .tiltin'g :toassure contact: of they lid-'onbothsides recess, and a substantially horizontal flange on said housing member extending outwardly of and overlapping said closure member in the region of said recess adapted to limit longitudinal movement of said closure member relative to said housing member in the event that said spring means becomes incapable of maintaining said projection in said recess.

2. A journal box lid comprising a closure member adapted to close the opening in one end of a journal box, a yoke extending outwardly from said closure member and formed with a spherical socket, said yoke having a substantially horizontal flange on each side of said socket extending outwardly of said closure member, a housing member having one end adapted to be pivotally secured to a journal box and having its other end formed with a, spherical projection fitting into said socket, a lever pivoted intermediate its ends in said housing member for limited universal movement relative thereto, spring means between one end of said lever and said closure member adapted to force the other end of said lever against the hinge lug on a journal box, and means on said housing member extending outwardly therefrom on each side of and spaced from said flanges adapted to limit pivotal movement of said closure member relative to said housing.

3. In a journal box lid a housing member and a closure member, means joining said members for a limited amount of universal pivotal movement relative to each other, a lever pivotally mounted in said housing member, said lever be ing adapted to move bodily away from said housing member, spring means normally maintaining said lever in engagement with said housing member, and projecting means on said lever having an opening therein adapted to receive projecting means on said closure member to limit movement of said lever longitudinally of said housing member when said lever tends to move bodily away from said housing.

4. In a journal box lid a housing member and a closure member, means joining said members for a limited amount of universal pivotal movement relative to each other, a lever pivotally mounted in said housing member, said lever be ing adapted to move bodily away from said housing member, spring means normally maintaining said lever in engagement with said housing member, said lever having an opening therein and a projection on said closure member adapted to be received in said opening to limit movement of said lever longitudinally of said housing member when said lever tends to move bodily away from said housing.

5. In a journal box lid a housing member and a closure member, means joining said members for a limited amount of universal pivotal movement relative to each other, a lever pivotally mounted in said housing member, said lever being adapted to move bodily away from said housing member, spring means normally maintaining said lever in engagement with said housing member, a projection extending downwardly from said lever, said projection having an opening therein and a projection on said closure member adapted to be received in said opening upon bodily movement of said lever toward said closure member to prevent loss of said lever due to breakage of said spring means.

6. A journal box lid comprising housing and closure members, a lever pivotally mounted in said housing member, coil spring means between said lever and closure member continuing along substantially the same helix throughout the entire extent thereof, and stop means on said lever and closure member adapted to engage the ends of said spring means to limit rotation about the longitudinal axis thereof.

7. A journal box lid comprising housing and closure members, a lever pivotally mounted in said housing member, coil spring means between said lever and closure member continuing along substantially the same helix throughout the entire extent thereof, and stop means on said lever and closure member adapted to engage the ends of said spring means to limit rotation about the longitudinal axis thereof said stop means being so positioned as to place said spring means in torsion when assembled in said members.

8. A journal box lid comprising a closure member and a housing member, means for joining said members for a, limited amount of universal pivotal movement comprising a spherical recess in said closure member and a spherical projection on said housing member received in said recess, a substantially horizontal flange on said closure member on each side of said recess extending outwardly of said lid and a substantially horizontal flange on said housing member spaced from and adjacent each of said first named flanges adapted to engage said first named flanges to limit said pivotal movement of said closure member relative to said housing member.

ALBERT o. BUCKIUS. 

